Alexander Quon

The City of Regina says its plan&nbsp;to electrify its fleet of buses has been given a big boost.&nbsp;

The city confirmed to CBC News&nbsp;that it is being awarded $26 million via the federal government's zero emission transit fund.&nbsp;

The money will help Regina upgrade the infrastructure at the city's transit fleet maintenance facility on Winnipeg Street to accommodate electric buses.

It will also help cover the costs of purchasing 26 electric buses from 2024 to 2026.&nbsp;

Approved Regina transit master plan will see big changes to bus system

Regina will work toward greener and more efficient public transit over the next 25 years thanks to a newly approved master plan.

The plan will see four transit hubs at the four intersections on 11th Avenue, Broad Street, Victoria Avenue and Albert Street.

Regina bus on 11th Avenue

The decision is being welcomed by Mayor Sandra Masters, who appeared to inadvertently reveal news of the funding&nbsp;during a post-city council scrum last week.

"We're well on our way in terms of electrifying for the future into the next number of years," said&nbsp;Masters.&nbsp;

Infrastructure Canada, which administers the zero emission transit fund, has yet to announce its decision to cover part of the transit upgrades in Regina.&nbsp;

It did not immediately provide comment when asked on Monday.&nbsp;

Transitioning away from diesel-fuelled buses was part of Regina's 

,&nbsp;which was approved by city council in May 2022.&nbsp;

The plan lays out how,&nbsp;starting in 2024, Regina will only purchase buses that are battery powered. That will allow the city to gradually replace all of its diesel fuelled buses with electric buses by 2040.&nbsp;

A graph depicts how the City of Regina plans to transition away from diesel buses towards electric buses. 

All buses purchased from 2024 onwards should be battery electric models, resulting in a gradual replacement of the fleet with alternative technology vehicles by 2040, according to the city's Transit Master Plan.

Regina's Transit Master Plan

The $26-million award from the federal government is expected to cover half of the $52-million cost for the upgrades and new buses.&nbsp;

Upgrading the facilities infrastructure will take from 2023 to 2025, with the city's first electric buses to arrive in 2025.&nbsp;

Regina city council approves long-awaited energy and sustainability framework

"I think that the real moments will come when we have proven a change through, when we have introduced the programs," Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said.

Sandra Masters is Regina's new mayor-elect after defeating incumbent Michael Fougere.

Sandra Masters

Sandra Masters in a file photo. Masters says it's great to have passed the framework, but now comes a lot more work. 

The infrastructure upgrades are the latest in a series of retrofits at the city's transit maintenance facility

A $31-million modernization of the facility was completed in 2020.&nbsp;

The City of Regina says the first electric buses for Regina Transit will be delivered in 2025.

City of Regina says $26 million coming from Ottawa for bus electrification

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